There’s one organization I dealt with, it was a bank. We first went into that operations center, it was a god-awful place. The only thing that was missing was someone sitting out in front in the room banging a drum and yelling:

Ramming speed!

But by the time we were done, there was energy, there were balloons, there was excitement and most important of all there was real progress on goals. There was a real jump in customer satisfaction. They had doubled their first-call resolution in the call-center.

You can do great things when you really unleash that human capital. And it’s that sort of thing I really am looking for.

Those are some pretty good things...when you set people free in your organization.

Sadly, though, most companies choose fear and that drum-beat. According to Tom Rieger:

You know I’ve been working in organizational development since 1986 and I’ve never seen so much fear in the workplace. Fear is what leads to the types of behaviors we write about in the book.

We went out and did a study of 2600 US working adults and where they stood within these fear barriers. And what we found was shocking.

If we look at those we call ‘prisoners’ and ‘prisoners’ are somebody who is basically trapped. They have very little empowerment, very little freedom and very little time. They don’t have a lot of opportunities and their accountability is all subject to the whim of a manager. Startlingly, half, 1 out of 2, Americans fall into that category. And when that happens employee engagement just drops through the cellar...

On the other hand, when those barriers are removed employee engagement jumps up into the 87th percentile which makes it among the most engaged employees we have studied.

So...if you take the shackles off your employees, remove the fear and the barriers that arise from it, you and your company can do great things.

Note:

The scene in this video is from the epic movie Ben-Hur. Wanna know what happens? The ship sinks after being rammed by their enemy's ship( doncha love irony...?)

The slaves either drown or attack the Roman soldiers first and then drown. All except for Ben-Hur. He rescues the Roman Senator who had been calling out ramming speed with sadistic relish.

Art imitates life.

Companies that treat their employees like slaves suffer the same fates. Their only hope of rescue is from the generosity, the engagement, of their employees.

Books I've Read and Recommend

Jackie Huba: Monster Loyalty: How Lady Gaga Turns Followers into Fanaticsa bigger challenge than I predicted. It’s not what to say that challenged me. It’s what NOT to say. I start reading and within 3-4 paragraphs, I’m nodding my head and saying Yes, yes, exactly. Bam. Bam, baby. Yeah, come on. Can I get a witness. Then I want to share verbatim Jackie’s translation of Gaga’s strategy. Here’s why. It’s a strategy with 7 steps that any, ANY, business can execute under its own terms and under its own budget no matter how small or large. Granted, I enjoy reading this strategy as it’s applied to Gaga. And Jackie's a good writer. But, what's really inspiring is understanding how even a car wash could apply this strategy with these 7 steps and find success. You could build a global empire selling gardening mulch if you followed these 7 steps. And you could lower your advertising and marketing budgets, to boot.

Kevin Allen: The Case of the Missing Cutlery: A Leadership Course for the Rising StarYes! Finally a leadership book and author who bring empathy, caring and listening to the front of the leadership room instead of insisting it sit in the back, laughed at or ignored with no champion and certainly no budget to help spotlight its role in creating engaged leaders.
He had me as a reader and fan on the first page of his introduction. Here’s what he wrote:
Years later, when I was made Executive Vice President at McCann Erickson Worldwide ... I came to realize that the gift of human empathy, which had guided me through those early days at Marriott, would allow me to steer literally thousands of people to row in the direction of McCann Erickson’s future.
I’ve learned things the hard way, through trial and error, mostly error. Through it all, I came to realize people follow you because of who you are; because you have come to understand the deep desires and hopes of your people; and because, by connecting with them, you have created a culture and a common cause they believe in.

Chuck Blakeman: Why Employees Are Always a Bad IdeaI love this book. It's true that I say this about every book I review here. And why shouldn't I? Why waste time reviewing a book I don't love.
That being said...Why Employees Are Always a Bad Idea: (and other business diseases of the industrial age) is one of my favorite business books for a long time.
It starts with the title. It's eye-catching, provocative, right? Mentally, it's a head-slap, positing a theorem inside your head then pounding it home with AlwayandBad to let you know you're not getting away; you're going to have your mind changed. Right now.
As I kept looking at the title, tilting my head like a dog - one side to the other - I began to smile. I read a kindred spirit. Here's a rebel, a true disruptor, someone who's willing speak up, take a stand; I like that. I might not agree with what I'm about to read, but his title made me smile without being cloying or clever so I knew I was in for a good ride.

Stephen Lynch: Business Execution for RESULTS: A practical guide for leaders of small to mid-sized firmsI'm an avid reader, always have been. I've read a lot of business books and I’ve led a small business. I recommend you read Business Execution for Results: A Practical Guide for Leaders of Small to Mid-Sized Firms. It is a very, very good book, among the best, most usable business books I’ve read.
As a writer, he does things that make the reading very pleasant, very inspiring, very engaging. Very good.
He offers personal stories, anecdotes, little clips. They’re genuine, sincere, well-organized to capture your attention, engage you in the story that illustrates the next lesson. I found myself thinking...I can relate...I am relating....I see, feel, remember this personally. And Stephen’s writing is very crisp, very concise in taking you from these stories to the principle with each chapter...and as important to the steps you’re going to take to generate the results you want to see. No hitch in the reading flow. VERY nice.